Page 60 - HaMizrachi RH-YK 5784 USA

ALIYAH DIARIES

The Old Bless and Switch Routine

Kally Kislowicz

here is a special blessing that par- and to keep her from throwing herself He saw me coming and sat up, bent his
ents give their children on the eve down the stairs in a fit, I interspersed head forward so I could put my hands on
of Yom Kippur. It is a beautiful my hopes for her future with hummed his head, and put his arms around me in a
Tberacha, one in which we ask that phrases about waterspouts and resolute hug. He sat still for the requisite two min-
our children be granted all the things we arachnids. One down, three to go. utes (which would have been more mean-
could ever hope for them. Years ago, my ingful had they not been punctuated by
husband and I were lucky enough to get Next I found my three-year-old sulking my husband’s ‘where is the baby??’) and
to say it four times. It is a longer version under a pillow on the couch. He was very kissed me and thanked me when I was
of the traditional Friday night blessing. A upset to have not been first in line for his done.
much longer version, actually. beracha. This is a common theme in his life
– on the first day of preschool his teacher I went into Yom Kippur thinking that he
There was a lot to be done in the waning asked me to list his fears, and the only one is growing up to be such a good kid. They
pre-Yom Kippur minutes. The table was I could think of was being second. This is are all good kids. And in their honor I have
being cleared, leather shoes were being a problem, as he is chronologically third, composed the following piece of highbrow
removed, teeth were being brushed, can- and not as fast as those pesky boys who poetry:
dles were being arranged, timers set, and preceded him, so he is often to be found
so on. And amidst all of this we decided it with the proverbial hairy chest (first is I will bless you on the stairs
was a good time to give a multi-paragraph the worst, second is the best, third is the In your clothes or underwears.
blessing to each kid. one with the…). He was not willing to be Sulking, pouting, sitting still,
consoled in the 35 seconds that I had allot- Will I bless you? Yes I will!
Ever suckers for efficiency, we agreed that ted for consolation, so I blessed the pillow Can I, will I, in your fort?
he would start from the oldest child and and hoped that he would receive all that When you’re mad and out of sorts?
work his way down, and I would start at worldly goodness by osmosis. I will bless you, sweet or crazy –
the bottom and work upwards. And in
the following 10 minutes of blessing and On to my 5-year-old (I waved at my hus- Oh, man, have you seen the baby?
switching I learned that while what we band as we crossed paths) who was sitting
want for our children cannot be summed inside a toy fort and was reluctant to let
up in just a few sentences, sometimes less me in. He explained that he had already
is more because they are not fans of sit- gotten his beracha from daddy and he
ting still for so long. didn’t need more than one. I told him
that I really wanted to bless him, and he
My daughter was first on my list. I blessed conceded – provided I remained outside
her on the stairs, because that is where I the fort. I again found myself hoping that
found her after 2 minutes of panicking my blessing was powerful enough to pen-
and saying ‘where is the baby?’ etrate various man-made materials. Done. Kally Kislowicz
made Aliyah from Cleveland,
She likes to climb stairs about as much And then onto my big boy, 7 years old and Ohio, to Efrat in 2016.
as she likes to sing ‘eensy weensy spider,’ sprawled out on the couch reading a book.

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